Madrid: Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid are yet to play any of their potential La Liga title rivals and may face their first genuine test of the season when neighbours Atletico Madrid visit the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Undefeated Real have a one-point advantage over champions Barcelona after nine matches and have so far faced mainly mid- to lower-table opposition, scoring 19 goals in their last four outings.
Barca, who host Real at the end of the month, play at Getafe tomorrow having defeated Sevilla (5-0) and Valencia (2-1) at home. They also won 2-1 at Atletico, who are sixth in the standings.
Real goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas said he and his teammates were highly motivated for the Atletico match after snatching a stoppage-time equaliser at AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Avoiding defeat
"We managed to avoid defeat in an important match and we want to carry on in the same vein," the World Cup winner said on Real's website.
Atletico are looking for a first win over Real for more than a decade and had a scare on Tuesday when Diego Forlan went over on his left ankle in training.
The Uruguay striker, who has been below his best since finishing joint top scorer at the World Cup, suffered a slight sprain but was included in the squad for Thursday's Europa League match against Norwegian side Rosenborg and came through a training session in Trondheim on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Barcelona defender Gerard Pique hit back at criticism of the team's tactics this season claiming recent achievements speak for themselves as they aim for their third successive league title.
Despite the fact the Catalan side are just one point off leaders Real Madrid and have won six out of their last seven games, they are not playing teams off the park as their fans have become accustomed to in the last two seasons under coach Pep Guardiola.
Injuries have not helped the team while new striker David Villa has taken his time to settle, although he appears to have hit form with a brace in the 5-0 win last weekend over Sevilla.
In mid-week they struggled against the strength and tenacity shown by FC Copenhagen and could only manage a 1-1 draw in the Champions League tie.
"We don't know how to play any other way and we have managed to win eight out of ten titles doing it so we are ready to die this way," said Pique ahead of Sunday's game with Getafe.
Saturday
Real Sociedad v Racing Santander
Espanyol v Malaga
Sunday
Zaragoza v Mallorca
Villarreal v Athletic Bilbao
Almeria v Sporting Gijon
Osasuna v Hercules
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna
Getafe v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid
Sevilla v Valencia
Fixtures
